Christmas and 50th Wedding Anniverversary

I was elected to the Treasurer's office for the Indian River Genealogical Society at the December General Meeting. The December meeting was different this year in that several members brought in family heirlooms and had them on display for everyone to look at. Pam Cooper, who retired from being the Archives Director at the Library, took the information about the heirlooms and made very attractive signs for everyone. 

I brought in a silver spoon from the mid-1800's owned by Mike's 2nd great-grandparents, a photo of Mike's great-grandmother and a Chinese soapstone vase owned by his grandparents. I had a bisque doll head that was my mother's sister's and a tintype of my 2nd great-grandfather taken about the time of the Civil War.

Our neighbor Barbara treated Mike and I to dinner on the 22nd at Mulligan's Beach House in Sebastian to thank us for helping her.

Santa brought Tinker a new toy for Christmas (which Santa always does) and Tinker's keeping it close.

Christmas Day we drove over to my sister-in-law's for Christmas dinner and her daughter and her family

Madison, FL to Home

The weather forecast was right - it was 44° this morning and the wind chill was 39°. Since we had a longer drive today than yesterday's, we were up a little earlier than usual. By the time we had breakfast and broke camp, it was 9:15 when we left Madison Campground.

We drove east on I-10 until we reached Lee, FL at 9:30 and stopped to get gas at a Love's Truck Stop and paid $2.999 a gallon for premium. Then back on I-10 east to Jacksonville and south on I-95.

We stopped for lunch at a Wendy's at 12:30 at the Outlet Center on I-95 at St. Augustine. The temperatures had been getting warmer the farther south we went and it was now 50° when we stopped for lunch.

Our final stop for gas was at the Flying J at Cocoa at 3:00 and we paid $2.839 a gallon for gas - just 52 miles from home. Our total mileage for today was 305 miles.

We arrived home about 4:00, backed the trailer up the driveway and went in the house to turn on the heat. Mike and I unloaded the frig and some things we'll need for tonight. Tomorrow we'll bring in the rest of our stuff from the trailer, level it and unhitch the car.

Then there's the laundry to do, vacuum the rug and mop the trailer floors and do some cleaning after we've unloaded the trailer.

Stopping at Madison Campground on the way Home

A couple of days ago we had had a lot of wind that was the forerunner of a cold front moving down to Flroida. This morning when we got up it was 41° with a wind chill of 34° - Brrr!!

By the time we broke camp and dumped our tanks at the dump station, it was 9:15 when we left Big Lagoon State Park. We retraced our route north to I-10 and then went east. 

We stopped at Exit 142 near Marianna, FL at 12:30 and got gas at the Travel America Truck Stop ($3.019 a gallon for premium) on the south side of I-10 and then we drove up to Burger King on the north side of I-10 for lunch. By the time we finished lunch and got back on to I-10, it was 1:20.

We arrived at Madison Campground at 4:20 this afternoon and checked in. They put us in the same campsite that we had on our trip over to Big Lagoon - site F4. We drove 269 miles today from Big Lagoon. I didn't take photos of our campsite here, since they would look the same as the ones I took on Dec. 2 when we were last here.

We paid $22 for tonight's stay, which is the price for Passport America members instead of the full rate of $44.

It is still chilly here and the forecast for tomorrow morning is for the low-40's. Since we had hamburgers for lunch today we didn't want a big meal, so we just had sandwiches for supper.

Visit to Fort Pickens

We stayed at the campground yesterday and just relaxed. We were having wind gusts up to 28-32 mph for most of yesterday - no rain just really windy.

This morning we drove over to Fort Pickens on Perdido Key which is 33 miles from the state park. We took FL-292 east to US-98 and then south crossing Pensacola Bay through Gulf Breeze and then south to Pensacola Beach. Then we went east on Fort Pickens Road to the Fort.

We got to Fort Pickens just before 11:00 and drove around taking photos. Construction for Fort Pickens was started in 1829 and was completed in 1834 and built in the shape of a pentagon.

It was still cloudy and overcast today, so the photos aren't as clear as I would like them to be.

We drove over to the campground and only one loop was open for campers. They are still making repairs

Campground Photos & Visit with Friends

This morning the rain let up and I was able to take a couple of photos of our campsite here at Big Lagoon State Park.

As you can see by the photo, the electric and water hookups are up near the entrance to our site. It's a good thing we have a long water hose and and electric cord.

After lunch we drove into Pensacola to visit with our friends Ann and Lance and Tinker came with us.The last time we were here was in September 2015 and they were having their house rebuilt after a fire

Visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum

We slept in this morning and woke up to overcast skies and the feeling it was going to rain any moment. We called our friends Ann and Lance and arranged to visit with them Tuesday. 

Big Lagoon State Park is near the Pensacola Naval Air Station which is the home-base for the Blue Angels.This afternoon after lunch we drove onto the base and stopped at the post gas station to get gas ($2.779 a gallon). Then we drove over to the National Naval Aviation Museum. 

The museum is open every day except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days and it is free. The first thing you see when you walk up to the museum is this F-14A Tomcat.

We had to go through a security check, showing our ID and I had to open my purse for the security person to see what I had in it. Then we received a brochure that showed the floor-plan of the museum and what exhibits were in each area.

We started in the South Wing which had the WWI planes

and early aircraft  and early Cold War aircraft on display.

Madison, FL to Big Lagoon State Park

This morning after breakfast and after putting things away inside the trailer for our drive today, I took photos of our campsite at Madison Campground.

We left the campground this morning just before the check-out time of 11:00. We got back on I-10 West and stopped at a Burger King at Exit 142 at Marianna, FL at 12:30 for lunch. After lunch we stopped at the Murphy station near Burger King for gas ($2.759 a gallon). While Mike was pumping gas, I walked Tinker and fed him his lunch when I got him back to the car and we were back on the road by 1:30.

We drove through Pensacola and exited I-10 at Exit 7 and got on to FL 297 South to FL-173 South then on to FL-292 West to Bauer Road and then south to the entrance to Big Lagoon State Park. 

We arrived at Big Lagoon State Park at 4:00. After registering and getting a map of the park, we drove out to our campsite. We are in site 24 and we have water and electric hookups, except they are up at the entrance to the campsite. Fortunately, we have a water hose and electric cord long enough to reach. Our rate for the site is $10 a night which is half of the full rate of $20 since we are Florida Senior Residents.

By the time we had setup camp it was getting too dark to take a photo of our campsite, so I'll take some tomorrow. We drove 269 miles today from Madison, FL and gained an hour when we crossed into the Central Time Zone.

Drive up to Madison Campground

We left the house this morning at 9:45 and stopped at the Raceway just before getting on I-95. While Mike was pumping gas ($2.989 a gallon for premium), I went in to the store and bought a couple of bags of ice for our cooler. Then we got on I-95 North until we reached St. Augustine.

We stopped at Exit 318 at SR-16 to have lunch at Burger King and then got gas and paid $2.799 a gallon for premium - $.19 cheaper than this morning at Sebastian. We were back on the road by 1:45 and got on I-295 at Jacksonville and then west to I-10. 

Another stop for gas at a Love's Truck Stop at Lee, FL at 4:30 where we paid $2.999 a gallon for premium.

We arrived at Deerwood Inn & Madison Campground at 4:40 and checked in. We are in site F4. It is a pull-through with full hookups. It is a Passport America member, so we are paying $22 a night instead of the full rate of $44. So with tax our fee for tonight is $24.31. We drove 306 miles today from home.

Since we are only stopping here for the night, we didn't unhitch from the car. We did put our jacks down to stabilize the trailer for tonight. I've done it again - or rather, I didn't do it. I forgot to take photos after we got set up here, so I'll do it in the morning. 

When we full-timed in our motorhome, part of my routine after we got set up at a campground was to take photos of our campsite. I have gotten out of that habit and I need to add that to my "Things To Do" list the first day at a new campground.

Preparations for another Camping Trip

This morning I took Tinker to Canine Design to be groomed before we leave on our trip up to Pensacola tomorrow.

This afternoon I met with Gail the current Treasurer for the Indian River Genealogical Society for lunch at C. J. Cannon's Restaurant at the Vero Beach Airport. Gail had never eaten at C. J.'s and really liked the restaurant. After lunch Gail went over the treasurer's duties and what all is involved with the position.

We're driving up to Big Lagoon State Park which is south and west of Pensacola. It's 547 miles from the house, so we're going to be stopping at Madison, FL to spend tomorrow night.

We're looking forward to seeing our friends Ann and Lance in Pensacola. We have been friends since we moved in next door to them at Hunter Army Airfield at Savannah, GA in 1970.

We've loaded up the trailer and hitched up the car this afternoon, so that in the morning we'll have that already done.

Unexpected Home Repair Expense

The week after we got home from Jonathan Dickinson State Park, I attended a D.A.R. luncheon at the Vero Beach Country Club. I chose the Turkey Dinner with Mashed Potatoes, Dressing and Cranberry Sauce. This was the 50th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon of the Treasure Coast Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.

Then a few days later Mike and I went to the MOAA (Military Officers of American Association) luncheon at the Vero Beach Yacht Club. Mike and I both the Chicken Marsala Fettuccine for lunch. Our speaker was Col. Stephen Norton (USA Ret) and he spoke on his experiences in the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

I've been nominated for the office of Treasurer for the Indian River Genealogical Society. Tomorrow I'm meeting with the current Treasurer to go over the duties and what types of paperwork and all is involved in the position. I'm excited and Mike is pleased that I was nominated.

Mike cancelled our camping reservation in December for Ft. Pickens. It is still damaged from Hurricane Irma and they aren't sure whether or not the campground will be open for the time of our reservation.

Then 3 days ago we had some problems with our septic tank and called the company to come check it out. They pumped out the septic tank and after checking the drain field found out that there was a problem with it. So we had them blast and hydro-jet the drain field to see if that would help and hopefully postpone for a few years of having a new septic system put in. The cost came to $2025 which is much cheaper than a new septic and drain field system. This comes under the heading of - The Joys of Home Ownership!

Back home from Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Since check-out wasn't until 1:00 today, Mike and I slept in this morning and took our time breaking camp.

The couple that came in yesterday and needed help with their awning, had already left this morning when we got up. So I never did get a chance to get their names, which I had forgotten when I wrote last night's post.

We left Jonathan Dickinson State Park about 11:00 this morning after dumping the black and gray water tanks at the dump station. Then we drove north on US-1 to County Road 708 and then west to I-95 North. We stopped for lunch at Hardee's at Exit 131 at Love's Truck Stop at Ft. Pierce about noon. After lunch we walked Tinker and fed him his lunch with a few pieces of hamburger from our lunch.

We arrived back home a little after 1:00. After backing the trailer up the driveway, we unloaded the frig and a few things from the trailer before we leveled it. Then we unhitched the car and Mike connected the trailer to the RV electric box. 

We finished unloading the stuff we'll need for tonight from the trailer and we'll finish unloading tomorrow. 

We had a good time at Jonathan Dickinson and will go back sometime, we'll just be sure our campsite isn't near a swampy area!

Our Last Day at Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Yesterday we drove over to the Pine Grove campground here in the park to see what it looks like. The campground is near the entrance to the state park and has 90 campsites. The River Campground where we are at has 52 sites. 

There are no trees to speak of at Pine Grove. It is right at the state park entrance on A1A and I'm sure that the hurricanes from this year and last year destroyed any trees that were there.. But the campsites are nice and they are larger than the ones at the River Campground. I think the main reason is because they have been upgraded because of the hurricane damage. We would like to stay there the next time we come to Jonathan Dickinson, just not in the summer since there are no trees at the campsites for shade.

We've been having problems with gnats and mosquitoes at our campsite and we found out why. There is

Loxahatchee River Tour and Trapper Nelson's

The first thing I did this morning after breakfast was to take a couple of photos of our campsite here at Jonathan Dickinson.

Then we drove over to the River Store about 1:30 to go on the Loxahatchee River tour up to Trapper Nelson's.We browsed around the store until it was time to get in line for the tour. We departed the dock at 2:00. The captain told us the history of the area and that during WWII the Camp Murphy was where the park is now and it was a top-secret radar training school before becoming a state park in 1950.

He explained about the birds and wildlife along the river and pointed out the differences in the trees and plants along the river. The first part of our trip up river we saw cypress trees and sand scrub pine trees.

Farther along up river the vegetation changed to to ferns and palm trees.

We arrived at Trapper Nelson's a little after 2:30 and were greeted by a state park volunteer who took us around the historical site of Trapper Nelson's.

Mike had been to Trapper Nelson's about 4 times while Trapper Nelson was still alive. Mike came up here

First Night at Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Last week we got everything together and put in the trailer for our trip today down to Jonathan Dickinson State Park south of Hobe Sound. The park is only 80 miles south of our home and check-in time is 3:00, we didn't need to get an early start today. We hitched up the trailer this morning and then had lunch and left the house about 1:30.

We took I-95 south down to County Road 708 and then east to Hobe Sound, then south on US-1 to the park entrance. After checking in, we drove out to the River Campground to our campsite. 

We are in site 114 with water and electric hookups. It's a pull-through site and we are on the end of the campground loop. There aren't a lot of campers here in the River Campground. There is another campground in the park which is closer to US-1 and we passed it on our way to our campsite. We'll have to drive over there one day and see what it looks like.

After settling in, Mike grilled hamburgers for dinner. Tomorrow we're going to see about going on the river cruise out to Trapper Nelson's. 

I just realized I didn't take an photos of our campsite. I'll do that in the morning. With our Florida Senior Resident discount we are paying $13 a night to stay here, so with taxes and fees our total cost for 4 nights is $64.42.

October 2017

I don't mean to sound boring, but there really wasn't too much going on this month for me to post about.

We've begun joining our friends Chris and Matt, and Nancy and Bill and their son Steven for a 9:00 breakfast at IHOP in Vero every Monday. We have a good breakfast and catch up on each other's news.

Mike was able to make camping reservations for Curry Hammock State Park for next June for 5 days. The State Park had quite a bit of damage from Hurricane Irma, but it is now open for day use only and they are working to get the campground repaired so it can reopen.

This last weekend Tropical Storm Phillipe "visited" us and we had 4" of rain from the storm.

I'm still working part-time for the medical practice in Ft. Lauderdale and doing their bookkeeping from home. It's only about an hour or so a day Tuesday through Saturday - which are the days the office is open.

We had 2 Trick or Treaters tonight - we had 4 last year. We used to have about 20 for Halloween when we moved here in 2013.

Yesterday was Fletcher's birthday - wow, 48 now - hard to believe. It doesn't seem that long ago he got his first bike for Christmas and that was 44 years ago.

Sue's Birthday - Movie & Dinner

The rest of September was pretty normal. We did get a lot of rain the last 2 weeks and had about 4". Tinker went to the groomer's last week and got a bath. We went to the IHOP in Vero this last Monday and met our friends for a late breakfast. Mike had a dentist appointment this week. All just normal stuff.

On my birthday we went down to Vero to see the Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle movie. Then we went to Outback for dinner. Mike ordered the 13 oz. Ribeye with a house salad and broccoli & cheese and a piece of Cheesecake with caramel sauce. I ordered the 10 oz. Ribeye with a Caesar salad and loaded mashed potatoes and the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under pecan brownie. We each had a glass of merlot.

Since our trip to Curry Hammock State Park has been cancelled, our next trip won't be until November when we go down to Jonathan Dickinson State Park for 4 days.

The pile of tree debris from Hurricane Irma was picked up on the 23rd of this month. When I went out later that afternoon to check the mail, this is what the street looked like. Our block was the only one on our street that looked like this. 

Life Getting Back to Normal after Hurricane Irma

We're slowly getting back to normal after evacuating for Irma. It was really great that the power came back on just as we got home.

Yesterday we leveled the trailer and then unhitched it from the car. We were just too tired to deal with it when we got home at 7:00 Thursday night. We've unloaded everything out of the trailer and I'm catching up on the laundry.

This morning I went around the yard checking to see how our plants fared and took some photos. Most of the leaves were stripped from our Tibouchina tree, but it was amazing that a lot of the flowers were still there.

Our oak trees took the brunt of the storm and the upper branches are mostly gone on the tree in the front yard. Hurricane Matthew took a large number of the upper branches last year and Irma finished the job this year.

We had reservations to go to Fort Clinch on Amelia Island next week for 5 days and Mike cancelled the reservation. They did have some damage and may not have the campground open by next week. Besides, we aren't ready to take another trip right after getting home from this one.

We had reservations at Curry Hammock State Park for next month for 5 days and we got an email that our reservation was being cancelled because of damage to the campground due to Hurricane Irma. Curry Hammock is right on the Atlantic Ocean and only 36 miles north of Cudjoe Key where Irma crossed the Keys. We had been looking forward to going to Curry Hammock - maybe sometime next year after they've made the repairs.

Back Home!

We slept in this morning and took our time having breakfast. I put stuff away in the trailer while Mike emptied our tanks and disconnected from the hookups. I did remember to take a few pictures of our campsite and of the campground before we left.

This photo is looking down one of the road in the campground.

We left about 10:30 and headed south on I-95 and stopped at the Flying J on the first exit south to get gas and paid $3.199 for premium. We stopped a little after 1:00 for lunch at the 5 Guys on I-95 at Melbourne. We both ordered a little bacon cheeseburger and a regular  fry and onion rings. 

Then it was just 38 more miles to the house. We got home about 2:00. Just as we pulled up in front of the

Spending the Night at Compass RV Park

We were up early this morning because we wanted to get an earlier start than usual. Several RVs left this morning while we were breaking camp. I put stuff away inside the trailer while Mike emptied the black and gray water tanks, disconnected from the water and sewer connections. Then we hitched the trailer up to the Pilot. It must have been about 8:00 when we left the campground and got on to I-10 East.

There was a lot of traffic on I-10, but it was moving fairly well. There were reports of gas stations in Florida having problems getting gas deliveries or were completely out. So we decided to stop only at truck stops for gas and I would check on Gas Buddy to check the gas situation on the truck stops ahead on our route.

We stopped at Love's at Cottondale, FL at 11:00 and got gas for $3.199 a gallon. We decided to eat lunch there and we both had the chicken tenders. Tinker stayed in the car with the A/C running and the doors locked and we brought him a few pieces of chicken from our lunch.

Traffic started slowing down the closer we got to Tallahassee and I took a photo around 1:30 near Quincy, FL.

I took a photo an hour later when we were just west of Lloyd, FL. We had driven 36 miles in that hour.

Traffic seemed to improve some when we passed the exit for I-75. I remember on our way west I looked at I-75 and it looked more like a parking lot. Today it was a little better, the traffic seemed to be moving albeit

Last Day at Styx River RV

We just lazed around the trailer this morning. It was still windy and overcast for most of the day. Then later this afternoon the sun came out and no more gusts of wind.

Mike called Compass RV Park at St. Augustine and made a reservation for us to stay there tomorrow night. It's 419 miles from here and will make for a long travel day. That doesn't account for the traffic on the highways of people going back home after evacuating for Irma.

Mike also called our tree trimmer Andre and arranged for him to come to the house and clean up the tree debris from the storm. Since we have 5 oak trees there is bound to be a lot of branches and such down on the ground.

Mike called our next door neighbor Bruce and there was no damage to our house or any of our neighbors'. The electricity is off for everyone, but Bruce and Tom across the street have generators so they are OK. However, Bruce can't get his car out of our garage until the electricity comes back on. At least he has his truck to use. Mike told him we would be home on Thursday.

I did take pictures this afternoon of our campsite - better late than never. 

Styx River RV is a membership campground, but they waived the membership requirements for people

Hurricane Irma now a Tropical Storm.

We've been keeping track of Hurricane Irma's progress and she passed between Tampa and Orlando today as a Category 1. Then by the time she was near Gainesville, she was downgraded to a tropical storm and headed towards southern Georgia.

The weather this morning was pretty good, but as the day went on it became cloudier and windier. We have had quite a number of wind gusts today probably around 30 mph or so.

I did walk over to the Laundry here at the campground to take a look in case I should need to use it. They have 4 washers and 4 dryers and a large shelf for folding. Instead of having to rely on my memory, I took a couple of photos. 

Now that I'm writing about it, I realize that we haven't taken any photos of our campsite or the

Waiting to See Where Hurricane Irma Goes

We just stayed at the campground today and kept track of the updates on Hurricane Irma.

This morning she made landfall on Cudjoe Key as a Category 4 with 130 mph winds. There was a report that a 106 mph gust was recorded at the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine - we would see them all the time at Fletcher's house there when we went to visit. Sure hope they come out OK.

Then this afternoon Irma was down to a Cat 3 with 120 mph winds and headed towards Naples and Marco Island. By 6:00 tonight she is down to a Category 2 with winds of 110 mph. They think that Irma will weaken even more after this next landfall and as she travels up the west coast of Florida. 

Because Irma's track has changed from going up the East Coast and is now going up the West Coast, we're wondering if we're going to feel any effect from the storm as it gets closer to northern Florida.

Lunch and Shopping in Robertsdale

We all slept in this morning including Tinker. After breakfast Mike went out and hooked up the sewer connection. Then we took Tinker and drove down to Robertsdale to do some shopping. 

We stopped at Camping World and bought a tripod, security alarm and a carrying bag for the Dish Satellite. Then we went to Zaxby's for lunch and we both had the Chicken Finger Plate and tea. We don't have a Zaxby's in Sebastian or Vero and the closest are in Melbourne and Port St. Lucie. So we always enjoy a chance to eat there. Since Tinker was with us, we left the car engine running and the A/C and locked the car. Tinker just lays down and naps until we get back - with a little something for him from our meal for a treat.

Then we went to WalMart to do a little shopping and stopped at a Chevron station for gas and paid $3.099 a gallon for premium. Then we went back to the campground.

Mike set up the Dish satellite on the new tripod and I called Dish to activate our service - $55.02. We are on their Pay-As-You-Go plan but you have to do it for a full month. Which when we get home, we just set the TV up in my office and I watch Dish until our month is up. 

Yesterday we kept track of Hurricane Irma and she was still a Cat 5 late last night with winds of 160 mph.

Our Second Day of Evacuation from Hurricane Irma

We got up about 7:30 this morning. We were able to get a news station last night on TV and Hurricane Irma is still a Category 5 and still heading for Florida. According to the news this evacuation may be the largest one ever. I know there were a LOT of cars on the road yesterday and probably just as many today.

After walking Tinker and having our morning coffee, I took pictures of our campsite and some of the campground. The number on our campsite sign is faded and hard to make out, so I'm guessing we are in campsite F-11.

We kind of took our time breaking camp this morning. Mike didn't hook our sewer hose up last night and he did that this morning and emptied our black and gray water tanks. I talked to a woman this morning who was also evacuating and they hadn't quite decided what direction to go in - north or farther west. I told her we were going to a campground at Robertsdale, AL. I think most of the campers here are also evacuating, since most were getting ready to leave this morning.

We left Madison Campground this morning a little before the check-out time of 11:00 and headed west on I-10. We stopped at a Shell station at Lloyd, FL to get gas and paid $3.559 a gallon for premium. We gained an hour when we crossed into the Central Time Zone. 

We weren't on I-10 West very long before we encountered traffic that was backed up.

We stopped at noon for gas at a Shell station near Lloyd, FL where we bought gas (premium) for $3.559 a gallon. We decided to stop for lunch when we got to Tallahassee and pulled into a Publix parking lot on US-319 and I fixed sandwiches and we had pasta salad. Then we got back on I-10 and then we saw this

Our First Day of Evacuation from Hurricane Irma

We left the house this morning at 9:11 and got on I-95 north. It wasn't too long after getting on to I-95 that we had to slow down because of traffic. We were now part of the evacuation from Hurricane Irma.

Fletcher called us to see how we were doing and I told him about the heavy traffic. He suggested that I download the Florida 511 app to find out about traffic on the highways. So I started using FL 511 to check the traffic on I-95 north of us. I also checked the northbound traffic on the Florida Turnpike and I-75. Even with the traffic delays on I-95 it looked to be better than the traffic on the Turnpike and I-75.

We stopped at 12:00 at the Rest Area north of Titusville at mile marker 225 to have lunch and walk Tinker. We were back on I-95 by 12:30. We had driven 69 miles from home.

The closer we got to New Smyrna, the heavier the traffic got until we came to a crawl. One time we actually got up to 20 mph!

We stopped at 3:30 at the Flying J at St. Augustine for gas and paid $3.199 a gallon for premium. While Mike was pumping gas, I went inside and bought some Cinnabon BonBites and 2 cups of coffee for us to have on the road. So now we have driven a total of 80 miles since our last stop at the Rest Area and we're only 149 miles from home. Oh my, that's 80 miles in 3 hours!

We continued on north on I-95 to Jacksonville and then on I-295 to I-10 West. The traffic heading west on I-10 seemed to be somewhat better until we crossed over I-75 and then we ran into the west bound traffic that was backed up. However, just the short glimpse I got of I-75 - it looked like a parking lot - almost no movement!

We arrived at Madison Campground at 7:15 tonight. We had driven 157 miles since our stop for gas at

It's Official - Hurricane Irma is on her way here

This morning Mike drove up to the Raceway here to top off the gas tank in the Pilot. They were out of premium which was priced at $4.445 a gallon (WOW), so Mike got regular grade at $2.699 a gallon. Mike also filled a couple of gas cans to take with us just in case we have a problem finding gas on the road. 

I spent today doing laundry so that is all caught up just in case when we get home we don't have any electricity. I also made a broccoli and pasta salad to take with us.

I went to WalMart Supercenter this morning and bought a new Keurig coffee maker for the trailer. We had a small Keurig Mini K15 that only held enough water for 1 cup of coffee and this new one has a 36 oz. reservoir for water. 

We've loaded everything we'll need for the trip in the trailer except for stuff we'll need for tonight and in the morning. We've hitched up the trailer to the car, so it's ready to go in the

Preparing for Irma

The last few days have been pretty hectic. According to the weather and news forecasts, it looks like Hurricane Irma is on her way to Florida. Mike and I have decided to leave and take our travel trailer and not sit out Irma here.

So Mike has made reservations at Styx River Resort at Robertsdale, AL for Sept. 7 for a week. Styx River is a Coast to Coast campground and we can use our points to stay there and it won't cost us anything - yeah, FREE camping!

I've cancelled our newspaper delivery and put our mail on hold for that week. A lot of the stores are running out of bottled water and fortunately Sam's got a delivery in today. I went online at Sam's last night and ordered a couple of cases of water to pick up this morning. When I went to pick up the water, the clerk had even hidden the cases of water in the pick-up area so no one could see them. I even had the clerk at the exit door at Sam's ask me how I was able to get the bottled water and I told him I had ordered it on line last night. I even had people in the parking lot ask me how I managed to get bottled water since Sam's had already sold out of the truck load that came in that morning.

We don't have any shutters on our house windows, so I've spent a good part of today moving lamps and other things away from the windows. I've taken the breakable stuff off of dressers and shelves and put in dresser drawers, pictures that we have around I have put in drawers or on shelves in closets. I've gone through the house and taken photos of everything - furniture, photos, curio cabinets, anything I can think of, in case the windows get broken or the roof is torn off.

A few days ago Mike had tried calling several indoor RV storage places within about 50 miles of us to see if they had any openings and no luck. 

Mike has connected the electric to the trailer and we are running the A/C and the frig in preparation for leaving. We've also started taking stuff out to the trailer. I always make it a point after we get back from a camping trip, to wash the bed sheets and then make the bed in trailer just in case we need to pack up in a hurry - at least that is done.

Waiting for Hurricane Irma, maybe

We've been home now for 6 days and it looks like we may have another trip in our future - not one that we had planned. 

According to the tropical weather forecast and this one will be caused by Hurricane Irma. We are watching the weather and news forecasts for Irma and planning on where we could go if the path takes her near us and how strong she will be.

We have 5 oak trees on our property and our trailer is parked under the branches of 2 trees and a couple of other oak trees are close enough that their branches could cause some damage to the trailer.

This last week we've just been putting cleaning the trailer and trailer's refrigerator and normal everyday housekeeping stuff. All the while, keeping one eye and ear on the weather forecast. 

Back Home from Anastasia State Park

We got up this morning about our 8:00-8:30 time and had coffee and breakfast. Then we started breaking camp. Since check-out time here is 1:00 and we are only 166 miles from, there wasn't really a need for us to rush this morning. 

It was about 11:30 by the time we left Anastasia State Park Campground after dumping our black and gray water tanks at the dump station. We went south on A1A to FL-312 and then west to I-95 and then south. We stopped at a BP station to get gas and paid $2.899 a gallon for premium grade.

We stopped for lunch at 12:15 at a Wendy's at Exit 289 at Palm Coast. Then we headed on home and arrived here a little before 3:00. We unloaded the frig and whatever we needed for tonight and left everything else in the trailer until tomorrow. 

It's good to be back home. Since we had Wendy's for lunch, we opted to have turkey sandwiches for supper. The pasta salad that I made before we left home is long gone.

Tomorrow we'll finish unloading the trailer - which means LAUNDRY and then vacuuming, mopping the trailer floors, and dusting. 

Last Day at Anastasia State Park

We kind of took it easy today. We drove over to Camping World at St. Augustine out on I-95 late this morning. We took Tinker with us and bought him a new dog harness that we found there. Mike also bought a sewer hose and fitting and a trouble light. 

We stopped at a Burger King on FL-16 to have lunch. We left Tinker in the car with the A/C running and the doors locked while we had lunch. Of course, we brought him a small piece of hamburger as a treat for staying in the car. Then we went back to the campground.

Then later this afternoon Mike and I drove over to the Island Beach Shop and Grill to buy ice.

While we were there, we walked out on the boardwalk to take a look at the beach there.

We spent the rest of today just relaxing. Tomorrow we head back home. I have a list of places to visit whenever we come back to St. Augustine. There is so much history here that it isn't possible to visit everything and do justice to them. 

Sightseeing in St. Augustine - Castillo de San Marcos & more

We left the campground on Anastasia Island this morning about 10:30 and drove over to St. Augustine. We parked the car at the Old Town Trolley lot on N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. We had bought tickets for the Trolley for 2 days and yesterday we rode it around St. Augustine checking out the different sights. Today we will be getting off of the trolley to visit some of the sights that we saw yesterday. We got our tickets for today and it wasn't too long before the next trolley picked us up.

We had planned our day so that we would arrive at the stop nearest Meehan's Irish Pub so we could have lunch there. Mike ordered the Reuben Roll (corned beef and sauerkraut in a spring roll wrapper, deep fried with Kerrygold cheese sauce & Thousand Island). I ordered the Reuben sandwich (corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on marbled rye). It would have been nice to have a couple of beers with lunch, but since we had a lot of walking to do this afternoon we opted to have sweet tea. We had both been looking forward to eating at Meehan's and we weren't disappointed - I could go again!

Then we walked across the street from Meehan's to go visit the Castillo de San Marcos. 

We spotted this RV from Europe in the parking lot and had to take a photo or two.

The entrance fee for Castillo de San Marcos is $15 for adults, but with our Senior Passes it was free. The Castillo de San Marcos is the only 17th century military construction in existence and is the oldest masonry fortress in the U.S. The building of the Castillo was started in 1672 and completed by 1695. It is built of coquina which is a type of limestone made from seashell fragments that solidified over time.

We explored the different exhibits in the lower part of the Castillo; soldiers' quarters,

a storeroom,

and British soldiers' quarters where 2 men shared

St. Augustine Trolley Tour

We got a up earlier than usual and after walking Tinker, feeding him and having our coffee, we drove into St. Augustine to go on the Trolley Tour. We crossed the Bridge of Lions a little after 9:00.

We parked at the parking garage at the Visitor Information Center for $3 for the day - that was the discounted price with our trolley tickets. Then we walked across the street to the Trolley Welcome Center in time for the 9:30 trolley. 

We passed by Flagler College where we saw a fence made from chains and spiked balls,

the Villa Zorayda Museum in a house built by the Boston Millionaire Franklin W. Smith in 1883 and was inspired by the 12th-century Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

Then by the Lightner Museum in what was the Hotel Alcazar built by Henry Flagler in 1888 in the Spanish Renaissance Revival style,

the St. Augustine Distillery that is in the FP&L Ice Plant building built in 1907. The plant was the first in